Wandering Feet, Wandering Thoughts

 Walked again.  Found another town.   Not sure what town.  Met a horse and named him Squire.  My first English horse friend.   

 Rambled farther into the country.  Squelched in a good bit of English mud. 

 Stumbled upon a castle.  A castle with a bell tower.

Had Christmas dinner with my flat—enjoyed it quite a bit.  Met some new friends, strengthened acquaintances (acquaintanceship?).  Ate a lot of Betty Crocker Rich and Creamy Icing (who knew they had Betty in Cheltenham?).  Learned what to say in response to the phrase: “Cheers, mate”.  Read the Narrative of Frederick Douglass.  Read Paradise Lost (not all of it!).   Read ten hundred poems… Couldn’t remember the names of two of my classes (Restoration, Romantics, and Revolution and Revolution to Renaissance?  Or  Renaissance, Revolution, Restoration and Restoration to the Romantics?).  Found all my classes.  Wrote my first slightly pathetic paper.  Still not in school-mode.  Spent less than seven hours in class all week.  Enjoyed the fact that my Islam class is up in an “attic” with skylights even if it is absolutely freezing.   Learned that if the door handle is round you pull and if it is flat you push.  This has saved me from looking ridiculous on more than a few occasions.  Down to my last 5 pounds (stipend on Monday!).   Got both my shower drain and my toilet pipes fixed by two amicable plumbers.  Becoming more knowledgeable about the ways of the world (e.g. international drinking games—observing not participating).  Enjoying becoming friends with people I don’t have the slightest thing in common with.  Praying for specific things and expecting (in faith) to be answered.